My Lover Isn't Interested With The Female lead!

 

 

 

 

“Are you alright, Lady?”

 

Ezkhiel hurriedly examined Letticia after setting her down.

 

Fortunately, she had managed to avoid the wine before it touched her dress, and there was no stain on her white gown.

 

“……I’m fine. Thank you, lord Bright.”

 

“No need to thank me. I apologize for startling you, as I didn’t have time to warn you in advance.”

 

After confirming Letticia’s safety, Ezkhiel’s expression shifted as he glared at the man holding the wine glass in a low voice.

 

“What on earth do you think you’re doing? Trying to spill wine on a lady’s dress!”

 

“I-I, um, well…”

 

Flustered by Ezkhiel’s reprimand, the man stammered and tried to back away.

 

However, Letticia moved faster than the man attempted to flee.

 

“State your name and family.”

 

“W-what?”

 

“I asked you to state your name and family.”

 

Letticia stepped forward with a cold expression.

 

The man, seemingly overwhelmed by her presence, turned pale and tried to escape, but the knights, who had been waiting nearby, apprehended him before he could run.

 

“Let go of me! How dare you lay a hand on me, do you know who I am?”

 

As the man, restrained by both arms, shouted, the crowd that had been gathering slowly turned their attention to the commotion.

 

Sensing that he was being watched, the man began to struggle more vehemently, flailing exaggeratedly.

 

“How dare a mere knight seize a nobleman! I was invited here, and this is how the Count of Sharon treats his guests?”

 

The crowd, witnessing the man’s boisterous behavior, started murmuring.

 

Quickly assessing the situation, Letticia called out to a servant in a loud voice, glancing at the spilled wine on the floor and the man’s flushed face.

 

“Jerome! It seems our guest has had too much to drink. Escort him to one of the guest rooms on the second floor. Assign a servant to attend to him and ensure he is given cold water until he sobers up.”

 

A servant named Jerome hurried over at Letticia’s call.

 

Other guests, seeing the servant promptly carrying out her instructions and Letticia standing confidently with an unaffected expression, seemed to understand the situation and turned away from the man in disdain.

 

“How much must he have drunk to act like that?”

 

“Indeed, one should enjoy alcohol in moderation. How disgraceful…”

 

Seeing someone causing a drunken ruckus at a party wasn’t uncommon, so they assumed he was just another one of those people.

 

Sensing the crowd’s interest waning, the man tried to shout again, but the knights dragged him out of the ballroom before he could.

 

With the drunken man gone, the ballroom quickly returned to its previous atmosphere, as if nothing had happened. However, Letticia’s expression remained stern.

 

‘Ah, I didn’t think about the guests.’

 

When preparing for the ball, Camilla had mentioned that this was the perfect opportunity for agents from competing parties to infiltrate as hired staff.

 

Therefore, Camilla and Letticia devised a plan to counter this. Only vetted senior servants would report to them and receive direct orders.

 

Temporary staff were not even allowed to engage in conversation, let alone approach them.

 

Letticia had kept her distance from the servants, being particularly cautious, but now she wondered how they managed to bribe a guest.

 

‘Should I report this to Mother…? But the dance is about to start again. What should I do?’

 

While contemplating whether to delay her report or become a wallflower, Ezkhiel spoke to her with concern.

 

“My Lady, you must have been quite shaken. Would you like to rest for a while? There are chairs over there…”

 

After glancing at the chairs, Letticia quickly made her decision.

 

The spy was already restrained with a servant assigned to guard him, so the report could be delivered by them. However, if she became a wallflower, her value would plummet.

 

“…The dance will start soon, so I’ll rest after it’s over.”

 

“Are you sure you want to dance?”

 

“I can manage. Besides, today I mustn’t sit out the dance. If I sit while everyone else is dancing, people will mock me as the ‘Queen of Flowers’ who has become a wallflower.”

 

At any ball, the host’s daughter must never sit out the dance.

 

It was customary for all invited gentlemen to dance with the host’s ladies at least once, ensuring she never lacked a partner.

 

To be seen sitting against the wall was equivalent to losing a battle that she couldn’t afford to lose.

 

Sensing Letticia’s resolve, Ezkhiel hesitated for a moment, remaining silent.

 

He seemed to contemplate for a moment as he looked at the dance floor, then, as if making up his mind, he extended his hand to Letticia.

 

“In that case, may I fulfill the promise I made last time, here and now?”

 

His hand, which appeared pale as if it had never seen the sun, felt more reliable than that of any knight at that moment.

 

Without hesitation, Letticia took his hand, smiling innocently and nodding her head.

 

***

 

As Ezkhiel heard the lively triple-meter waltz being played by the orchestra, he suddenly realized that the dance was a waltz and flinched.

 

“Ah…”

 

“Haha, it seems you and waltzes have some special connection.”

 

Letticia giggled teasingly, and Ezkhiel, blushing slightly, replied.

 

“It appears so. I hoped to avoid troubling you again, Lady…”

 

“It’s no big deal. Dancing a familiar dance is better than one you’ve never danced before. Let’s try to do better this time than the last.”

 

Encouraged by Letticia’s cheerful smile, Ezkhiel, albeit awkwardly, placed his hand on Letticia’s waist.

 

Similarly, Letticia placed her hand on Ezkhiel’s shoulder and happily began to step to the music as it started.

 

Fortunately, Ezkhiel was much improved compared to the Imperial Ball. Though the change was not dramatic—merely enough to reduce the anxiety of stepping on her feet—he was, at least, leading properly this time, which was quite commendable.

 

“Wow, you’re much better than before! You must have practiced a lot.”

 

“I haven’t practiced. I didn’t have time. I haven’t attended a ball since the Imperial Ball.”

 

“Ah, you did say you’ve been busy. Then, you probably didn’t have time to practice.”

 

“Yes, I had to attend the ball, but couldn’t practice dancing. I feel sorry for my partner.”

 

“Then, you can practice today. Shall we dance the next one together as well?”

 

“You shouldn’t say things like that lightly…!”

 

Although it was just a joke, Ezkhiel turned red and seemed flustered. Letticia burst out laughing and tightened her grip slightly on his hand.

 

“You don’t need to be too flustered like that; It’s just a joke, lord Bright. Surely you understand the implications of dancing twice with someone.”

 

“It was… a joke…”

 

Ezkhiel looked at Letticia with a slightly crestfallen expression. His gaze, almost like that of a dejected fawn, seemed oddly fragile and endearing, washing away the earlier irritation.

 

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to. I must have relaxed too much being with you, lord Bright.”

 

When Letticia sincerely apologized, Ezkhiel’s expression softened, as he realized she hadn’t meant to tease him intentionally.

 

“I’m glad you feel comfortable around me, but you shouldn’t say such things lightly. I’ve heard that some people end up marrying someone they didn’t want to because of a single careless word.”

 

“From the start, there’s no one who jokes around like you, Young Lord. You’re also the first person I’ve dance twice with.”

 

“…What?”

 

Ezkhiel, seemingly shocked, gaped at Letticia.

 

Seeing his reaction, it seemed he truly hadn’t heard anything about Letticia before.

 

‘Well, he did say he barely managed to attend this ball…’

 

Hiding her slight disappointment, Letticia tilted her head and pretended not to know.

 

“You didn’t know? I’ve never danced twice with the same person before. Ah, except for big brother Ken, since he’s a chaperone.”

 

“Th-that, does that mean I’ve done something unnecessary…?”

 

“It’s not a big deal. It just means your name might appear in the Lucinella gossip column.”

 

“Lucinella?”

 

Ezkhiel’s face turned almost ashen. Fearing he might misunderstand it as a scandal, Letticia quickly clarified.

 

“It’s not a scandal that would ruin your life if you don’t get married. It’s more like… a frivolous article speculating if you’re the man chosen by the diamond, or something like ‘Who is the lifelong love chosen by Lady Sharon?’ Something along those lines.”

 

“…That must be tough for you, Lady.”

 

Ezkhiel spoke with a cautious tone, as if comforting her. Letticia smiled lightly, as if it was no big deal.

 

“It’s a bit troublesome, but it’s fine. The attention brings benefits to me as well, so I just think of it as a tax. Or a commission fee? Something like that. With attention, there’s always some inconvenience.”

 

“I didn’t mean that. I was wondering if it’s hard because people expect you to have some kind of perfect love story like one out of a novel.”

 

 

🍓 ; Wallflower, a person who has no one to dance with or who feels shy, awkward, or excluded at a party or a shy person, especially a girl or woman, who is frightened to involve herself in social activities and does not attract much interest or attention